Saturday, 31 January 2009

Talking Fat #5: Pictures

Remember back in the first entry when I talked about the picture that opened my eyes and made me realize that there were issues? I’m going to be unveiling it today.

Yep...that's me on the right. This is the picture that started the whole thing :)In the education semi-formal pic, I'm on the left (duh!)

I am so close to my final weight loss goal that I am being driven crazy. The problem with loosing a lot of weight, is the mental exertion and exhaustion that goes with it. Today I found my initial registration on fitday.com – November 25, 2007

While in Ottawa, March 2008

I found fitday.com about a week after I began this whole process. It kills me at times. Back then, I had no idea of my actual weight. I thought I weighed about 245 pounds, and set a monthly weight loss goal of 10 pounds. I also thought that I could have this whole process finished 10-12 months after I started. I just wanted to get it done quickly and efficiently. But that’s not how it works. Like I’ve mentioned, my actual weight was closer to 300 pounds. I had not counted on plateaus, and encountering periods that I just couldn’t “diet” anymore.

I actually managed to get through from November to April with relatively little disturbance. Except for those pesky moments of wondering if I was really making any progress. In April, when I moved over to England, I fell off the wagon, so to speak. During the 3 weeks I spent in Banbury, I returned to my former beer-loving ways. Then I started to panic that I would gain weight back.

A night of sheep herding, July 2008

From May until about August I was fairly good again. I think I had about a week in July that I was absolutely sick of eating healthy and always worrying. Plus with goose patrol, and spending my days in the parks, it wasn’t like I wasn’t getting enough activity. Then in August my plateau hit. I spent the next six weeks stagnating at the same weight. Talk about discouraging! Luckily I had gotten below the 200 mark, so I was moderately encouraged.

In October when I returned to England, I was again not eating as healthy as I should have been. The advantage to this problem was that the stress of being back in England, and the constant worries made me drop about 12 pounds almost instantly. The stagnation was over!! Of course, due to the nature of how I lost the weight, I was a bit worried that it would pack on as soon as I returned home.

August 2008 with Kobalt and Simon

December came, and with it came Christmas. For the two weeks over Christmas break, I ate like there was no tomorrow. It was not entirely intentional. I was going out with friends, and indulging in foods that I had long forgotten. I actually quit weighing myself for the duration of Christmas, because I was afraid of the consequences. Apparently the binge was what my body needed – I lost another 10 pounds between December and mid-January.

November 2008, just after returning from London; Marina Park

Now that my final goal is in sight, I am back to feeling the same way I did when I began this whole process. It has definitely taken me longer to arrive than I ever expected. But again, I didn’t know where I was starting from. Every day is a challenge. Today I was going to take the day off of working out, but still did 70 sit-ups, 50 crunches and 32 minutes of weights because I am pushing towards the finish.

The reality is still that this will never truly end. I read a great article the other day regarding weight loss – the underlying messages were things that I had realized shortly after I began. You can’t change your life overnight, and this has to happen in stages. You can't have a good day every single day. And most unfortunately, there is no simple solution.

January 2009; training Panda, Ozker and Kobalt in my kitchen

**For the record, it would appear that the majority of my pics involve my dogs!

Life in the haze...

The trials of learning to live, of overcoming defeat, of living without a formal plan, of learning to reevaluate the present, and all with a personal motto of 'I don't know...'

In the Haze...

These are the ramblings of a disorganized, uncertain, yet somewhat anal individual. There is no true theme to this blog - it covers whichever issue happens to be bothering me at that particular moment. I am honest, which can cause problems. I don't apologize for that.

I do not proof-read, as I generally do not have time to do so. I will skim these blogs for apparent mistakes, but unless the mistake is highly obvious, I will likely miss it.

My spelling is mediocre, because I am apart of the first generation who allowed their spelling to go to h*ll with the introduction of Spellcheck. If Spellcheck misses something, I miss it too.

I spent eight years in university; as a result my writing abilities have suffered. After eight years of having my writing torn apart, blasted for individuality, etc, I can no longer write with any sort of effectiveness. University stifles creativity. I'm ok with that, and I hope you are too.

Other than that, I hope you enjoy this journey, as I try to make sense out of my life :)

Cheers!

About Me

Fairly indecisive about most things, I dabbled in several lives before settling on this one. I have trained in Archaeology and Anthropology (which will forever remain my first loves and passions). Unfortunately, one day I woke up and realized that love and passion do not pay the bills...well, not legally. I am currently in transition, with no definite plans for when I'm returning to reality.
This is the my journey, which is sometimes humorous, sometimes rocky, but always entertaining :)